Test Your Knowledge: Bermuda Triangle Quiz

The Bermuda Triangle isn't formally recognized by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names as a real place, but many people believe that mysterious forces are at work within this triangular patch of ocean. Ships and planes disappear here for seemingly no reason. How much do you know about the Bermuda Triangle?

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Question 1 of 30

The Bermuda Triangle is a mysterious place that covers roughly 500,000 square miles in which ocean?

Atlantic

The Bermuda Triangle extends across nearly 500,000 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean. It's located off the southeastern coast of the United States with apexes in the vicinities of Bermuda; Miami, Fla. and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Pacific

Indian

Question 2 of 30

While the Bermuda Triangle is an imaginary area not formally recognized by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, plenty of superstition and lore surround it. It is also called the _____.

Trifecta of Demons

Devil's Triangle

Another name for the Bermuda Triangle is the Devil's Triangle, a moniker that may have been borrowed from Bermuda's own alias: Isle of Devils.

Abyss of Despair

Question 3 of 30

The first highly publicized disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle involved five Navy Avengers in what year?

1939

1945

In 1945, the story of five Navy Avengers disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle virtually exploded when news reporters linked the accident to other strange disappearances in the same area.

1951

Question 4 of 30

Who was piloting DC-3 commercial flight NC-16002 from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami when the plane disappeared?

Capt. Robert Lundquist

Capt. Robert Lundquist piloted the DC-3 that disappeared somewhere around the Bermuda Triangle. The Civil Aeronautics Board stated that his plane had been having electrical difficulty before take off, and it's likely that he ran out of fuel and crashed into deep waters. No debris has ever been found from the accident.

Capt. William "Bud" Hammill

Capt. John Herschel Overing

Question 5 of 30

Of the following vessels, which did not disappear in the Bermuda Triangle?

Beech Bonanza

Mary Celeste

The Beech Bonanza disappeared in 1981 and the S.S. Marine Sulphur Queen was lost in 1963 -- both accidents are attributed to the mysterious pull of the Bermuda Triangle. The Mary Celeste's crew disappeared in 1872, and while the incident is commonly thought to have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle, it actually happened hundreds of miles from there.

S.S. Marine Sulphur Queen

Question 6 of 30

One theory that attempts to explain the powerful pull of the Bermuda Triangle posits that:

The area is a haunted by drowned sailors who are looking for others to join their colony.

These waters are a gateway to the lost city of Atlantis.

While it's a farfetched theory, at least one psychic, Edgar Cayce, claimed that this area is a portal to the lost city of Atlantis. Cayce explained that Atlantis had many modern-day technologies, which ultimately led to the demise of the city. He said that Atlantis could be accessed by a pathway called Bimini Road, in the Bahamas.

A sea creature related to the Loch Ness monster devours the crews of encroaching ships.

Question 7 of 30

A strange cloud tunnel over the Bermuda Triangle has been reported by several pilots, including Bruce Gernon, Rob MacGregor and Don Pelz. According to these pilots, what's so strange about the tunnel?

It's an electronic fog that distorts time.

In "The Fog: A Never Before Published Theory of the Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon," Gernon and MacGregor describe how an electronic fog with time distortion capabilities wreaked havoc on their plane's electrical equipment and mysteriously shaved time off their flight to Miami Beach.

Passing through it causes tiny ice crystals to form on the plane.

There's a zero-gravity atmosphere inside it.

Question 8 of 30

The Bermuda Triangle is one of two places on Earth in which a compass points to true north instead of magnetic north. What's the other place where this happens?

in the center of the Canary Islands

Antarctica

Devil's Sea, off the coast of Japan

The only two places in the world where compasses point to true north instead of magnetic north are the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil's Sea. According to some theorists, this explains why ships and planes get lost in these areas.

Question 9 of 30

Which of the following environmental effects is NOT thought to account for some disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle?

waterspouts

underwater earthquakes

full moons

Waterspouts (more commonly known as tornadoes) and seismic activity from underwater earthquakes are both thought to attribute to disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle region. Full moons are not considered an influence over ships and vessels in this area.

Question 10 of 30

Scientists at Cardiff University speculate that sudden ruptures of ____ could affect the density of ocean water and capsize vessels sailing in or near the Bermuda Triangle.

underwater volcanoes

methane gas

Dying and decomposing sea organisms build pockets of methane gas that can affect the density of ocean water upon rupturing. Some scientists say that even planes flying overhead during methane explosions can catch fire.

icebergs

Question 11 of 30

In 1921, the crew of the Carroll A. Deering disappeared. Some reports of the time attributed the loss of men to what?

aliens

a storm

piracy

The Prohibition-era ship may have run afoul of booze smugglers.

Question 12 of 30

A Navy board of inquiry had one official stating that the missing Avenger bombers flew off to WHERE?

Africa

China

Mars

Some Triangle believers have seized upon this statement as evidence that extraterrestrials may have been involved in the bombers' disappearance.

Question 13 of 30

What happened to one of the PBM Mariner aircraft sent to located the missing Avengers?

It disappeared.

The 13-man crew disappeared along with the plane, which was never seen again.

It exploded.

It located a single Avenger wing.

Question 14 of 30

What is the U.S. Navy's stance on the Triangle?

It doesn't exist.

Nothing to see here, no supernatural Triangle, so move along folks.

It is potentially dangerous.

It's the Russians.

Question 15 of 30

In addition to faulty compasses, what factor most likely affected the missing Navy Avengers?

storm damage

low fuel

They probably wandered around lost and eventually ended up in the sea.

electrical system malfunction

Question 16 of 30

True or False: Compass readings really do fluctuate as people cross the Triangle.

true

But this isn't necessarily unusual; it happens in various places all over the world.

false

Question 17 of 30

In what year did a mainstream media source first publish a story about the Triangle?

1950

Edward Van Winkle Jones wrote a piece about the Triangle for The Miami Herald.

1960

1970

Question 18 of 30

In 1949, for how long did the U.S. Air Force search for a lost British South American Airways (BSAA) passenger plane before giving up?

five days

In spite of the intensive search, no trace of the plane or its 31 passengers was ever found.

five weeks

five months

Question 19 of 30

In 1949, what unusual circumstance occurred during the disappearance of a BSAA passenger plane called the Star Ariel?

bright, unidentified lights on the horizon

radio blackouts

There were radio blackouts of up to 10 minutes in duration that made communications very difficult. This disappearance helped to start the Bermuda Triangle legend.

category 3 hurricane

Question 20 of 30

A former BSAA pilot claimed this factor caused the Star Ariel and an earlier plane, the Star Tiger, to crash:

sabotage

He claimed that suspicious people were spotted near both planes before their fateful flights.

aliens

Nazi holdovers

Question 21 of 30

Christopher Columbus reported that he saw WHAT as he sailed through the area?

mermaids

a miles-wide waterspout

a huge lick of fire

It may have just been a meteor; Columbus reported other odd sightings as well.

Question 22 of 30

In 1881, a ship called the Ellen Austin found an empty and drifting ship in the Triangle area. What did the captain of the Austin do with the ship?

Set it on fire.

Nothing, because it frightened him.

He began towing it.

But a storm came up and the ships were separated; the ghostly ship was never seen again.

Question 23 of 30

How many men were onboard the USS Cyclops when it disappeared in 1918?

80

300

The ship never transmitted a distress call and no one ever learned what happened to the ship or its unfortunate crew.

700

Question 24 of 30

In what year did two Cyclops sister ships disappear near the same location?

1923

1941

They, too, disappeared and have never been found.

1920

Question 25 of 30

In 1955, where was a ship named the Connemara IV found?

south of Cuba

south of Puerto Rico

south of Bermuda

It was found adrift, and its crew had vanished.

Question 26 of 30

How do maritime insurance companies address the risks of the Triangle?

Rates are lower.

Rates are higher.

Rates are about the same.

Insurances companies, constant bellwethers of risk, don't see the area as more dangerous than other parts of the ocean.

Question 27 of 30

Since its publication in 1974, how many copies of Charles Berlitz's sensational "The Bermuda Triangle" have been sold?

5 million

20 million

The book took a sensational idea and made it even more fantastic, which was great for sales.

10 million

Question 28 of 30

Why do so many ships and planes disappear in the Bermuda Triangle?

Sinister alien forces grab them.

Strong ocean currents suck them under.

The number of disappearances there is about the same as in any other part of the ocean.

A book called "The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved" concluded that the number of disappearances was no greater than in any other ocean. Many of the "disappearances" or crashes took place outside of the Triangle, or else storms were to blame.

Question 29 of 30

The Triangle is most likely born of what?

media frenzy

Once the idea took hold, the Triangle became the stuff of legend, even though real-world findings seem to show that it doesn't' t exist.

government conspiracy

aliens

Question 30 of 30

What happens to most pilots and sailors who travel through the Triangle's area?

nothing

In the end, the Triangle doesn’t seem to be more dangerous than other areas of the ocean.